A high-frequency three-dimensional tyre model based on two coupled elastic layers

Road traffic noise is today a serious environmental problem in urban areas. The dominating noise source at speeds greater than 50 km/h is car tyres. In order to achieve a reduction of traffic noise tyres have to become quieter. To reduce tyre/road noise a deep understanding of the noise generation mechanisms is of major importance. An existing tyre/road noise simulation model consists of a smooth tyre rolling at a constant speed on a rough road surface. It is composed of three separate modules: a tyre model, a contact model and a radiation model. The major drawback with the contact model is that it only takes the radial component of the contact forces into account. To improve this model, a description of the tangential motion at high frequencies is necessary. Most of the models for the structure-borne sound behaviour of tyres are designed for the low-frequency range (i.e., below 400 Hz). Above this frequency range, the curvature of the tyro is unimportant, while the internal structure (multi-layers of steel and rubber) increases in importance. For the high-frequency range, a double-layer tyre model is proposed, which is based on the general field equations, to take into account the tangential motion and the local deformation of the tread, Both propagating waves and mode shapes have been investigated by the use of this model. Calculations of the response of the tyre to an external excitation show relatively good agreement with measurements on a smooth tyre. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.